Brilliant All-Rounders

Noble Fidelity’s L-85 is a well-conceived and extremely well-balanced ceiling speaker developed by and for music lovers. No wonder the company’s motto is “Live with Music.” The L-85s offer pleasing clarity, smooth overall sound with clean highs, surprisingly deep bass, and room-filling dispersion—all at a bargain price.

FEATURES

The L-85 is a two-way design with a pivoting 1-inch tweeter and an 8-inch woofer mounted as close as possible to the mouth of the speaker enclosure to improve dispersion. Two three-position “MF” and “HF” switches let you fine-tune the midrange and treble.

Noble’s designers obviously paid attention to details seen and unseen, equipping the L-85 with high-quality parts, heavy-gauge wiring, and four large dogleg-type clamps (to secure the speaker to the ceiling). Environmentally conscious buyers will be pleased to know that all Noble Fidelity speakers comply with RoHS (Reduction of Hazardous Substances) standards.

PERFORMANCE

The L-85s sounded a little “stiff” straight out of the box, but after several hours of run-in time the sound opened up considerably, impressing me in three ways.

First, the resolution and detail reminded me of the sound of good mid-priced floorstanding and bookshelf speakers. The Nobles have a certain quality of sophistication and finesse that can bring first-rate vocal recordings such as Allan Taylor’s Colour to the Moon [Stockfisch] alive. Through the L-85’s, Taylor’s richly textured voice sounded uncolored and harmonically complete.
Second, the L-85s offer surprisingly solid bass. Though they can’t produce subterranean lows the way a subwoofer-equipped system can, they easily catch the unmistakable snap and growl of master bassist Marcus Miller’s Fender Jazz bass on The Sun Don’t Lie [PRA], and with genuine heartiness. Not many ceiling speakers can do that.

Finally, the L-85s offer good dispersion, covering large spaces with smooth, evenly balanced sound. True, you will hear a gradual rise in treble (and perhaps a hint of roughness) as you move directly beneath the tweeter, but it’s subtle. In short, a couple of L-85s can easily fill modestly-sized rooms with good sound.

BOTTOM LINE

Noble Fidelity’s L-85 is a well-executed, high-performance in-ceiling speaker that puts musical values first—exhibiting a true touch of class in the process. And at just $549/pair, these little overachievers make any number of higher priced poseurs look pretty silly.

Conclusion

Noble Fidelity’s L-85 is a well-executed, high-performance in-ceiling speaker that puts musical values first—exhibiting a true touch of class in the process. And at just $549/pair, these little overachievers make any number of higher priced poseurs look pretty silly.